During six-day sessions on location in Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding area, 25 participants and a Master Teacher engage in an interdisciplinary approach to teaching social studies with American history as the focus. Teachers have the opportunity to exchange ideas with historians, meet character interpreters and become part of the story in The Revolutionary City. Throughout each day, teachers work collaboratively with Colonial Williamsburg staff and Master Teachers to examine interactive teaching techniques and develop instructional materials that bring history to life in the classroom.

This year, participants must also complete an online course, Introduction to Colonial Williamsburg’s Teacher Institute, prior to their arrival in Williamsburg. Participants will receive access to this course two weeks before their Institute start date.

Tuition: $2,200. Includes a double-occupancy room in the Colonial Houses and Taverns, all meals except two (on own), local transportation during the Institute, tours, evening programs, admissions to program-specific local historic sites and educational materials. [Note: Teachers who would like their own room pay an additional fee.] Scholarships are available.

Educational materials: Comprehensive lesson plans and facsimiles of primary sources are available online, on demand through the Colonial Williamsburg Education Resource Library. Take-home materials include facsimile objects and documents, and digital media. All are selected to complement the Teacher Institute experience and help educators bring history to life in their classroom.

Teachers not awarded scholarships and wishing to pay their own tuition, please contact Valerie Perkins at vperkins@cwf.org.

Elementary school sessions

Elementary school sessions focus on the daily life of colonial Virginians and the transition from subject to citizen that occurs during the revolutionary period. Teachers will be immersed in hands-on activities at Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown that highlight the stories of the people living during this period.

Middle school sessions

Middle school sessions
examine how the concept of American identity began in the colonial period and continues to evolve and transform with each generation. Through inquiry-based analysis of primary sources while visiting Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown and Richmond, teachers explore how that identity influenced American citizens to shape and change the Republic through the 1860s.

High school sessions

High school sessions study civics through the lens of American history by examining the idea that citizens are in a constant debate over the proper balance between essential American values. Teachers will learn to inspire active citizenship by exploring these enduring themes and making connections to present-day issues during visits to Jamestown, Williamsburg and Richmond.

Institute in American History and Content Literacy

The Institute in American History and Content Literacy is designed for American history teachers in New York (enrollment preference is given to teachers from New York City and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island) who have experience leading reading and writing workshops and want to do pioneer work in developing literacy-rich history curriculum. Participants will study early American history “on location” in Williamsburg, the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia, while also thinking together about the intersection of best literacy practices and state of the art history instruction.